Waihinga
Anthropological
Research

The profile of the hillside to the east of Martinborough has three pronounced notches along the skyline, giving the impression of two upturned canoes. Maori named these canoes after the great legendry explorer, Kupe. Thus, the hills above Martinborough are known as Rua Waka o Kupe (the two canoes of Kupe), or more simply Nga Waka o Kupe (the canoes of Kupe). Some observers believe they can see a third canoe to the south of the main pair, but there are only two canoes in the legend. For further information on this point, have a look here .